"The origins of Warwick Castle can be traced back to the Saxon fortification which Ethelfleda, daughter of Alfred the Great, used to defend against the invading Danes. … a wooden motte and bailey constructed in 1068 at the command of William the Conqueror. Throughout the Middle Ages, under successive Earls of Warwick, the castle was gradually rebuilt in stone. By the 14th century, it was a towering mediaeval fortress and the stronghold of the mighty Beauchamp Family. … Attacked in 1264, besieged in 1642 and damaged by fire in 1871, the castle has nevertheless gloriously survived the ever-changing fortunes of history, and stands today as the most impressive of England's ancient fortresses. The castle was a home to the Earls of Warwick until 1978 when it was bought by the Tussauds Group. Since then extensive restoration work has been carried out and substantial areas of the castle, which were previously closed to the public, have been opened."

Well, just as all roads lead to Rome, there are plenty of ways to get to Warwick. It's close to Coventry and Birmingham and just off the M40 - two miles to be exact and dead easy to find.

Arriving by train, the castle is only a short walk away from the station. From London, trains leave from Marylebone Station.

You enter the compound and follow the sign for cars. Unless you are exempt from payment - old Tussaud Annual Pass (now replaced by a Merlin Annual Pass) or Priority Pass - parking is £3.00. You have to show the pass to the attendant and he advised us what bay to park in. The car park is divided into bays in alphabetical order, the earlier in the alphabet the closer to the castle entrance you are. We parked in bay E as advised but we could see empty spaces in bays A to D.

The Castle

So there it was, after bombing up the M40 for almost 2 hours we had arrived. Neither my friends nor I had been before and, strangely, we all had the same thought. "Is this it? I thought it was bigger."

I've always had a soft spot for dungeons and torture chambers (don't ask) but I must say, I was not very impressed when I climbed down a very steep set of steps and arrived in a room full of absolutely nothing. There was barely anything interesting and only go if there's no queue or if you have time to spare.

I quite enjoyed climbing up the pretty steep stairs up to the different towers. If you are not good on foot then climbing up can be a bit of a workout and not necessarily as enjoyable as it could be. But once up at the top the view (on a good day) over Warwick and surrounding area is quite magnificent. The only problem is that you also have to go down again and while climbing up the steep steps can be a bit of a challenge, coming down is even more so. There were a few times when I through I wouldn't make it simply because I don't really like heights - I have no problems getting up or looking over, it's the coming down and having to look down that is the problem for me.

The weather, while cloudy, was not too bad. But it was still pretty cold and walking around an old castle without getting the benefit of central heating made us feel quite cold through and through.

You arrive in the great hall. Enjoy walking around the antique furniture and armour before you enter what appears to be a maze of hallways, staircases and room. I know I lost all sense of direction

Pictures of Warwick Castle

Barbican & Gatehouse

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The Gardens are unfortunately not in full bloom in winter and although nicely landscaped, I reckon they are more beautiful to look at in summer. It is still a nice walk to the Conservatory and Peacock garden and admire the peacocks (and much less showy peahens) strutting around. A short detour via the rather bland (for the time of year) rose garden and you can only begin to imagine what it will look like when in full bloom. We didn't spend much time outside, it was cold and we really didn't want to spend more time out in the open than necessary, although, had the weather been warmer we would have spent more time finding out about the rest of the grounds and gardens.

Eating and Drinking

Warwick Castle Privilege Pass £38.00 for one year unlimited entry for adults, prices for children and families vary.